


How Am I Gonna Be an Optimist About This? (the Timon Remix)

by lls_mutant



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2018-01-22 00:26:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1569257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lls_mutant/pseuds/lls_mutant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kara's not overly thrilled when Helo hooks up with Gaeta, of all people.  She really thought he had better taste.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Am I Gonna Be an Optimist About This? (the Timon Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pamymex3girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pamymex3girl/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Untitled](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/48275) by pamymex3girl. 
  * Inspired by [Untitled](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/48275) by pamymex3girl. 



"So this is the _Galactica_. I can't believe you got me here."

Kara's face split into a wide grin as Helo got off the Raptor. "Not my fault if you actually fell for it. How long have you known me? You should know better by now."

"It's my own damn fault," Helo agreed, looking around the landing bay of _Galactica_. "Frak, is that a Mark V Viper?"

"I know, right? It's like a museum."

"You say with glee. Remind me again how you talked me into this?"

"With my usual charm and wit," Kara said happily. "Besides, think of all the experience you'll get. You'll move up the ladder a lot faster here, mixed in with the dregs of the Fleet." A knuckledragger heard her and scowled, but Kara ignored him. "It's a good career move for you, and it makes a dull assignment better for me."

Helo glanced at her from the side of his eyes, a knowing glance which told Kara he wasn't fooled, and hadn't been for one second. She looked forward, squaring her shoulders and her face suddenly grim. He put a hand on her shoulder, just a brief touch, and then said, "So. Give me a tour so I know my way around, okay? I just remember the Mercury class battlestar layouts."

"Right." Kara pushed thoughts of Zak down and pulled her smirk back up. "Let's go. I'll show you the important places first… like the rec room."

Helo fell into step beside her agreeably. "I always forget how big battlestars are," he said as they made their way off the deck and towards the rest of the ship. 

"Beats being stationed on Sagittaron, doesn't it?" It hadn't hurt her cause that Helo had been stuck in one of the worst assignments in the Fleet.

"You have no idea," Helo said, groaning. "Gods, Kara, that place is such a frakking mess. I don't know why I'm mocking you guys for the state of _Galactica_ when the Edessa base is even worse."

"You see much action there?"

"More than I would have liked." Helo's face was serious. "When I say the place is a mess, I don't just mean the tech. The SFM is still going strong, no matter what we're telling the news outlets. The Sagittarons don't exactly want us there. I saw- whoa!" They rounded the corner and Helo literally crashed right into someone coming the opposite way.

"Right. Forgot about that. Don't hug the corners too tight." Kara's smirk faded quickly as she saw who Helo had run into. 

"You okay there?" Helo asked him.

"Yeah, I… I'm fine." Gaeta had completely ignored Kara and was staring at Helo. "I don't think I've seen you around."

"Of course you haven't. I just got in on the last Raptor. I'm Karl Agathon. Helo." Helo extended his hand, and Gaeta took it.

"Felix. Felix Gaeta."

Kara snorted. Of course. Helo _always_ had them eating out of his hand in minutes. She rolled her eyes in something resembling commiseration, but stopped mid-roll, because to her shock, Helo was staring right back at Gaeta. He smiled the smile he always pulled out when he wanted to charm someone, and Kara was pretty sure he was flexing under his duty blues. "You a pilot, Felix?" Helo asked.

"Hardly," Kara scoffed, as Felix shook his head.

"No. I work in CIC. Speaking of which," he glanced at his watch. "I'm due there in three minutes. Welcome to _Galactica_ , Lieutenant Agathon."

"Thanks. Maybe I'll see you around, Felix."

Gaeta's cheeks darkened. "Maybe." With a grin that managed to be shy and smug at the same time, he took off, disappearing deeper into the ship. Helo watched him walk away, his thoughts all over his face.

"You've got to be frakking kidding me."

"What?" Helo asked innocently.

"Gaeta?" Kara crossed her arms. "Come on, Helo, we used to make fun of guys like him at the Academy all the time. He's the one with his hand glued in a permanent salute and his lips permanently attached to the Commander's ass."

Helo's face changed. "The Commander… shit! I'm supposed to be there in five minutes!"

"CIC or his study?"

"The study."

"Come on." Kara took Helo's bag from him. "I'll get you there."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"You wanna pay me back? Stay away from Gaeta."

Helo grinned at her. "Can't I just frak him once? He's got one hell of an ass."

"No, because then he'll fall in love with you, and I'll have to put up with him hanging around all the time. If you're going to make me run interference with your groupies, make sure I can at least stand them, will ya?"

Helo shrugged. "Okay." His eyes were far away though, and Kara figured it was even money he'd either dismissed the idea entirely and moved on to his meeting with the Commander, or he was ignoring her. "So, Adama. What's he like?"

"You'll like him," Kara said, pleased it was the former. "He does a pretty good job with the whole scary command act, but he knows his stuff. And he really cares about the crew." Helo nodded and straightened his sleeves and collars. "This is him," Kara said, stopping in front of Adama's door. "I'll take your stuff to rack B-5271 for now. Go get him, tiger." She swatted him on the ass.

"Cute," Helo said, and then turned off the smile and turned on the more professional military demeanor. Kara saluted and left him at the door, shaking her head. She was never going to admit it, but she was really glad that Helo had applied for the transfer here and been accepted. It made _Galactica_ feel a lot more like home.

***

"So, who's the hottie?" Boomer asked Kara, sitting down beside her in the mess. "I hear the new guy is pretty easy on the eyes."

"Like you've got eyes for anyone." Boomer's affair with Chief Tyrol was a pretty open secret, but it was supposed to be a secret nonetheless. "His name's Helo. Karl Agathon. He was with me in the Academy."

"Heard he's a Raptor wrangler. Is he any good?"

"Worried about losing your spot in the rotation?" Kara asked, arching an eyebrow. 

"No," Boomer said, but Kara was pretty sure her bravado was forced. "Didn't you hear? Easy's time here is up and she got a transfer to _Pegasus_. I'm searching for a new ECO."

"He's pretty good," Kara said noncommittally. She was pretty sure Helo would rather be flying than playing second fiddle. She looked up and spotted him as he walked in. "There he is. Hey…. Oh frak."

"What?" Boomer studied him. "He's just with Gaeta."

"I know." Kara made a mock shudder.

Boomer rolled her eyes. "He's not a bad guy, Starbuck." She looked back at the Helo and Gaeta and giggled. "And it looks like Helo might agree with you."

"Oh, gods no. He's flirting." Kara groaned. "Is he doing that thing where he touches the person's arm a lot to get their attention?"

"Oh, yeah. Major touching going on."

"Oh, goodie." Kara ducked her head under her arms for comic effect. "And next comes the eyes. The puppy dog eye type thing."

"Yep. Puppy dog eyes are a go." Boomer laughed. "Ten cubits says Helo's got Gaeta in his rack by the end of the week."

"You really think Gaeta would do something as much fun as have sex?"

"That's the power of sex, Starbuck. It can even make Gaeta stop working."

Kara and Boomer laughed together. "Ah, whatever," Kara said, returning to her dinner. "It's not like I haven't had my share of questionable fraks. He'll get it out of his system and that will be that- that's how it always goes."

"Guy at every port?" Boomer asked.

"Or girl. No way someone like Gaeta is going to tie Helo down." Kara looked back at them talking and shook her head. "Absolutely no way."

***

"So. Have you frakked him yet?" Kara asked three weeks later as Helo spotted he during the bench press.

"Frakked who?" Helo responded, a bit too innocently. 

"Gaeta, of course."

"Who said I had any intention of frakking Felix?"

"Oh, come on. It's been obvious you wanted to since you first saw him. And since when have _you_ had trouble getting someone in your rack?"

"I haven't had trouble," Helo said as he guided the barbell back to its resting place. Kara sat up, swinging her arms to loosen them, and studied Helo's face. To her surprise, he looked serious. "I don't really plan on frakking him."

"You're a lousy liar."

"What makes you say that?"

Kara shrugged. "You've just been spending a lot of time with him, that's all."

Helo smirked. "Jealous?"

"Hardly." Kara got off the bench and helped Helo add a few more weights to the bar. "Just can't see any other reason you'd hang around him."

"I know this might sound crazy to you, but he is actually a good guy."

"Never said he wasn't. Just that he's annoying as shit."

Helo shrugged. "So you say. Listen, I've got somewhere I've got to be in an hour, so let's finish this up, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Kara left the subject and took her place at the head of the bench. "Hey, I hear you've been assigned to be Boomer's ECO."

"Yeah." Helo heaved the bar off the rest and began his set. "Can't complain. She's a good pilot."

"Just hold on for the landings. She got her name for a reason." Kara grinned to take the sting out of her words. "But yeah. She's a good one to fly with." She hesitated. "You happy here?"

"Kara, I was stationed on Sagittaron before this." Helo grunted with effort as he finished out his set, then sat up. "Don't worry about me, okay? I wouldn't have applied for this if I didn't want to."

"Who's worried? It's a normal question."

"Right." Helo stood up, swinging his arms to stretch them out. "Speaking of happy, I'd better get going."

"What, you've got a hot date?"

Helo just grinned.

***

"You're insufferable," Kara told Helo two weeks later. "It should be criminal to be so happy." Helo ignored her, humming as he shaved. "Seriously," Kara said, leaning against the sinks, "are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"You going to be mature about it?"

"Helo, this is me."

Helo paused in his shaving. "That's why I'm asking." His tone was light, but his face was serious. Kara studied him.

"This is serious, isn't it? What's going on?"

Helo rinsed his razor under the water. "I think I'm getting tired, Kara."

Kara stared at him like he was crazy. "Tired of what?"

"Frakking around."

"No way." Kara treated that idea with the derision it deserved, and so it took a minute for the cubit to drop. "No way. You're not really getting into a relationship with _Gaeta._ "

"I am." Helo towed his face off, the smile still lingering at his lips. "I mean, it's early days and it's not like we've talked about it much, but this is something different, Kara. I can feel it."

He was serious about it. Kara decided not to make the comment she was going to make about Gaeta and nodded. "Well, that's… that's great."

"You okay?" Helo asked, peering at her with concern. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She realized he was thinking about Zak and waved it off. "Yeah, no, I'm fine, Helo. Just kind of stunned. Never thought I'd see the day when you put your dick away for some guy."

"Lovely way of putting it, Kara," Helo said, completely unperturbed. "Listen, we're playing triad in the rec room tonight. Want to join us?"

"Will there be shots?"

Helo sighed in exasperation. "Kara, what do you take me for? Of course there are going to be shots."

"Well then." Kara grinned. "I'm in."

***

Kara had many reasons for saying yes to Helo's proposal: the promised shots, Helo's company, she liked cards, and she had planned on spending the evening in the rec room anyway. But one of the biggest reasons was because if Helo was going to hook up with Gaeta, then Gaeta needed to get used to being cleaned out at the Triad table by Helo's best friend. However, things were not going according to plan.

"Fold," Gaeta said, putting his cards down.

"What the hell?" Kara demanded throwing her hand down. "Again?"

Gaeta shrugged. "Cards aren't going my way. You'd do the same." He threw his hand down, face down. Kara swept it up.

"Hey! Hand hasn't been called yet!" Boomer protested.

"Screw it. What the- you have a straight!" Kara was torn between shock, disgust, and a little admiration that she'd rather die than admit. "You've been counting the cards!"

Helo and Boomer both turned on Gaeta. "Have you really been doing that?" Helo asked.

Gaeta shrugged. "Well, you know…."

"That's cheating," Kara said.

"It's not cheating," Gaeta said indignantly. "It's only in blackjack, and even then it isn't technically cheating. It's just not allowed by casinos."

"There's a reason for that."

"Of course there is. Casinos have to turn a profit, and they don't want people taking the odds out of the game. But if you look at the official Triad rulebook-"

"Wait. There's an official Triad rulebook?" Helo asked incredulously, laughing.

"Of course. How do you think the regulate those tournaments you see on TV?" Gaeta smiled at him then turned back to Kara. "Counting cards is not illegal in Triad. Although it does require use of a brain."

"What are you trying to say, Gaeta?" Kara felt her blood boiling in a pleasant sort of way. There was nothing she'd like better than to punch that smarmy, self-righteous, brown-nosing frak in the face. Gaeta seemed to know what she was thinking and sat back, smirking at her in a knowing, I-dare-you sort of way. 

Helo cleared his throat. "Guys? Can we get back to the game?"

Kara had no intention of listening, but Gaeta looked embarrassed. "Sorry, Karl," he said, sweeping up his discarded cards and began to shuffle. Helo looked expectantly at Kara, and she sighed and sat back down. 

"Fine." She glared at Gaeta. "But no more counting cards."

Gaeta shrugged and began to deal, making no promises. Helo and Boomer didn't seem bothered by it, but Kara, who freely admitted she had no problems finding reasons to dislike Gaeta, grit her teeth. Playtime was over, and it was time to clean this asshole out.

Two hours later, Kara walked away only fifteen cubits up. And Gaeta might have been down a few, but he and Helo had left together, whispering to each other. Kara really was not liking Gaeta any better.

***

"Been a while since we had a good Dance," Kara told Helo as they made their way down to the landing bay that had been set up as a boxing arena. "You putting your tags in?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Not sure if Gaeta didn't want you to break that nose of yours."

Helo rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I am not whipped. Besides, he's putting his in as well."

"Oh, is he?" Kara's grin widened. Felix might hold his own at Triad, but she was pretty sure she could wipe the floor with him in boxing.

"Yes." Helo sighed. "And listen, Kara, do me a favor, will you? Leave him alive?"

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" Kara asked innocently.

"I'm not saying you'd try to kill him," Helo said. "Just… be nice, okay? I mean, nice for you?"

"You're not going to tell me not to call him out?" 

Helo laughed. "Felix is a big boy. He knows what he's doing. And hell, maybe if you two punch each other in the face a few times you'll both get it out of your systems. But I'd really like to get laid tonight, and I'm not going to be able to do that if he's in the infirmary all night."

"All right. Since you ask so nicely…." Kara slung a companionable arm around Helo's shoulders. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Keeping book. Come on- let's go."

Dances didn't happen often enough on _Galactica_ for Kara's taste. Not because she had a world of grudges, but because she truly enjoyed the boxing matches. The excitement was running high as they entered, and Kara let the sound and the raw adrenaline wash over her. She was going to have a good time tonight.

There had been a couple of wash-out matches, a good knock-down, drag-out fight between a couple of knuckledraggers, and a great, rather bloody bout between a pair of marines when a grunt found here. "Lieutenant Thrace, your tags are up next. We need to know who you're fighting so we can get the betting going." 

"Better find a new bookie, because I'm fighting Lieutenant Gaeta." The grunt nodded and headed back to where the betting was happening. Kara watched as he shouted to Gaeta, and Gaeta's eyes widened. Kara wasn't sure if it was surprise or panic, but either way, she was ready for this.

"Remember what I said," Helo warned her, helping her wrap her hands. "I don't get laid tonight, you're going to pay for it."

Kara slipped her mouth guard in and ducked under the ropes. "I'll leave the important parts for you, okay?" She took her spot in the center of the ring, and Gaeta took his across from her.

"Touch gloves," Colonel Tigh ordered them. They obeyed. "I want a good, clean, fight, got it?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Go!"

They circled each other, Kara assessing Gaeta's fighting stance quickly. Tight and defensive- not the kind of guy to take the first swing. He'd wait until she attacked and try to suss out her weaknesses. Kara decided to toy with a while, and just kept circling him.

"Will one of you throw a godsdamned punch?" Tigh yelled after a few minutes.

Kara grinned around her mouth guard. Gaeta still was in a defensive posture, but he was lulled. Expecting feints. Kara dove fast, and landed a one-two punch right in the gut and side. Gaeta doubled into it, his block coming too late. The crowd cheered, and Kara retreated, because otherwise she was going to find herself back in here facing Helo if his boyfriend was laid up for the night.

Gaeta straightened back up, a look of determination in his eyes. "Should've stayed down," Kara told him.

"That's what you think." Gaeta feinted low convincingly enough that Kara blocked it, and then almost delivered a right cross to her cheek. Kara almost didn't dodge in time. She came back up feeling superior, and Gaeta's left uppercut landed hard. He didn't follow up quickly enough though, and despite the pain in her side Kara managed to dance away.

"Well, this just got more interesting than I thought it would be." Kara waited for an opening- Gaeta kept his guard high- and when she found it, engaged again. This time Gaeta was ready for her, and the fight truly began in earnest.

Her blood burned hot and she barely felt Gaeta's blows. Most of them were body blows that didn't land well, but he was still more of a challenge than she'd initially assumed. But she was still toying with him, and she could tell he knew it. And that was frustrating him. She was like a bee he wanted to swat, and he was becoming more erratic as a result. Watching Gaeta actually lose control made this even more fun, and Kara gloried in it. They continued, the fight becoming more vicious and more erratic.  
The sharp pain in her head was unexpected, and hurt all the more for it. "Hey!" Kara shouted, realizing suddenly that Gaeta had grabbed her hair and pulled. "You bastard!" She swung and punched, but her swing was wild. Gaeta trapped her arm, and it was _on._

By the time Tigh was able to pull them apart, the fight had degenerated into hair pulling, slapping, and Kara had narrowly evaded being bitten. The crew was cheering and laughing, but Tigh looked disgusted. "You call that a clean fight?"

"He started it," Kara said, wiping her face on her forearm. 

"You're both at fault. You're out of here, both of you." Tigh jerked his thumb over his shoulder, and the reaction was a mix of boos and cheers. Kara glared at Gaeta and stepped out of the ring. Boomer found her, a smug smile on her face.

"What are you so happy about?" Kara asked, her annoyance increased by the sight of Gaeta climbing down and Helo wrapping a tight arm around his shoulders. "That fight's not paying out."

"Not if you were betting on the outcome," Boomer agreed. "I, however, had money on Felix being the first one to pull hair. Best payout I've had all night." Kara snorted and began to unwrap her hands. "So," Boomer said conversationally. "Got it out of your system?"

"The urge to punch Gaeta in the face? For now."

Boomer frowned. "Why do you dislike him so much?"

Kara shrugged. "Why do you care?"

"Because I fly with Helo and I have to listen to him complain about how his best friend and his boyfriend hate each other."

Kara looked up. "He really calls Gaeta his boyfriend?"

"Well, yeah." Boomer shrugged. "They're getting pretty serious. Is that the problem? Are you jealous?"

Kara laughed. "Hardly."

Boomer frowned. "But Helo told me… I mean, you and him…."

"Oh yeah. Been there, frakked that." Kara waved her hand dismissively. "It was all for fun and it was ages ago. Before Zak even." Kara bit her lip. "If Helo had hooked up with you or Skulls or Racetrack or-"

"Or a pilot," Boomer said.

"Pretty much any pilot, yeah. I wouldn't be having an issue. It's just _Gaeta._ Something about him rubs me the wrong way. That's all."

"They really are good together, you know."

Kara shrugged. "I don't really care. It's not personal."

"Yeah, well, I have to listen to Helo go on about it. So can you let this be it, at least to him?"

She had a point. And Gaeta really wasn't worth the effort. "Yeah, sure." Kara finished winding up her wraps. "Instead of standing around here talking, why don't we go put bets on the next match and then get drunk?"

Boomer grinned. "You're on."

***

True to her word, Kara learned to keep her opinions of Gaeta to herself. He didn't annoy her any less, but she soon found they didn't have to interact too often. Gaeta practically lived in the CIC, and usually by the time he came down to play cards, Kara was drunk, which made him far more tolerable. Helo also rarely forced them into situations together. And to top it off, Boomer was right. Judging by the smile on Helo's face and the ease in his laughter, he was really happy with Gaeta. And although Kara would never admit it, that lay to rest the last worry that Helo would be miserable here and blame her. So on some level, Gaeta had done her a favor. 

Not that Kara would ever admit to that.

***

"You got your new assignment yet?" Kara asked Helo as they sat down to eat. 

"Yup." Helo grinned like a cat who'd gotten a full bowl of cream, but didn't elaborate. Kara sighed. 

"Must be good, if you're that smug. What did you get?"

"Battlestar _Pegasus._ "

" _Pegasus_? I heard they're real uptight over there. What are you so happy about that for?"

"Might actually get to see some action instead of just doing relief missions," Helo said. "And not on Sagittaron."

Which was definitely a good reason, and Kara could completely respect that. Still. "I've heard a lot about Admiral Cain. No offense, but you don't seem like the type she'd go after."

"I'm not."

It dawned on her. "But Gaeta is."

"I'm what?" Gaeta sat down next to Helo, tray in hand.

Kara couldn't resist. "The type that's got the regs book so far up his ass that there's no room for Helo's dick," she said cheerfully.

Gaeta's face didn't change, but Kara knew he was annoyed. She grinned at him, and he looked to Helo. "Told her about the _Pegasus_?" 

"And how you're pulling me up to the fast trackers, yup." Helo turned his attention back to Kara. "Made a request, and the Commander put it through."

"You think Admiral Cain is going to have no issues with you two fraternizing?" Kara asked. "Scuttlebutt makes it sound like she's not the type to let things slide."

"We're not breaking any regs," Gaeta said, which was probably true, because Kara was reasonably sure Gaeta could recite them in his sleep. He opened his mouth to say more, but the PA system crackled to life.

"Lieutenant Gaeta to CIC, Lieutenant Gaeta to CIC." 

"Honestly." Gaeta rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. He picked up the bowl of soup with one hand, and with the other put his dessert onto Helo's tray. Helo rubbed his neck sympathetically, but Gaeta didn't really seem to bothered by the call. He drank his soup down quickly and stood up, squeezed Helo's shoulder, and left. Kara watched him go.

"You really want the life like it is over on _Pegasus_?" Kara asked. 

"I'll be okay there for a couple years. And it will give Felix the combat experience he needs to advance. After that… we'll see."

"Whoa. This sounds like it's serious," Kara said, putting her fork down. 

"It is."

Kara frowned. "What if it goes south though? I'm not trying to frak with you, but what if you guys don't make it? You're stuck on the _Pegasus_ for the next few years with him."

"It's a big ship. And I'll be fine there. It'll be good for my career, too."

Kara gave up. "Your funeral."

Helo gave a funny little smile that made it clear he didn't agree, and then turned serious. "What about you, Kara? You gonna be okay?"

"Me? Of course. I'll be fine." Zak was almost two years into the past, and his ghost didn't haunt Kara's thoughts as painfully these days. "I haven't gotten my papers yet, but the Old Man hinted at _Yashuman_."

"It's gonna be weird to see this place decommissioned, isn't it? It's gotten to be a lot like home."

Kara shrugged. "Home's a Viper, not a battlestar," she said lightly. "I don't care where I go, as long as I can still fly."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly."

***

"Kara."

Kara took off her flight helmet, shaking out her sweaty hair, and turned to see Boomer standing there. A wave of relief and delight swelled inside her, and she strode forward to greet her. "Hey! I thought you were dead."

Boomer didn't smile. "Lucky I'm not." Something about her stance made Kara stop. 

"What is it?"

"The Raptor sustained damage. We had to make an emergency landing on Caprica." Boomer swallowed hard. "We found civilians trying to get away."

"And?" A knot was forming in Kara's throat.

"And." Boomer took a deep breath. She was about to speak when they both heard the sound of feet on the stairs down to the deck. Kara turned, and her heart constricted even more as she saw Gaeta running down the stairs, his professional composure gone and his face alight with happiness. He made a beeline straight for them.

"I saw you came in. We thought you were dead," he said breathlessly. "How'd you make it back?"

Boomer's expression went from upset to stricken, and suddenly Kara knew exactly what she'd come over to tell her. And she knew from his sharp intake of breath that Gaeta figured it out, too.

"I'm sorry," Boomer said, wiping at her eyes. "I tried to convince him. But he said humanity would have a better chance with someone like Gaius Baltar than-"

"Gaius Baltar?" Gaeta asked in confusion.

Boomer nodded. "He was in the crowd that swarmed the Raptor. His number didn't come up, but Helo gave him his seat anyway. I'm sorry."

"But he could still be alive, right?" Gaeta asked anxiously. "Down on Caprica?"

"No one's going to survive down there for long," Kara said dully. 

"I'm sorry," Boomer said again. When neither Gaeta nor Kara said anything, she backed away. Kara let her go. Then she spun on her heel and with a yell, threw her helmet against the wall. She ran her hands through her hair, closing her eyes and letting the grief consume her for a moment. 

Beside her, Gaeta was standing perfectly still. Kara turned on him. "What's with you?" Gaeta didn't answer. "Come on!" Kara shouted. "She just told you that Helo's dead!"

"I heard her, Starbuck," Gaeta said, and some rational part of Kara's mind could hear the way his voice cracked. 

"Then why the _frak_ are you just standing there?" Kara demanded, pushing him. "Why the _frak_ don't you care?"

Gaeta's expression turned to pure disgust. "Get away from me," he said, stepping back. Kara advanced on him, anger and pain mixing to push her temper higher. 

"Hey! Hey, what the frak is going on?" Chief Tyrol caught her arm. "Lieutenant Thrace!"

His voice brought her back to herself enough that she was able to catch her actions. "It's nothing, sir."

"Yeah? Didn't look like nothing." Chief peered at Gaeta. "You okay?"

"I…."

"Of course you're not. Here. You take her." Kara hadn't realized that Boomer was right beside Chief. "Gaeta, you come with me." He draped an arm around Gaeta's shoulders and manhandled him off the deck. Gaeta, still looking stunned, let himself be led.

"Starbuck?" Boomer's voice was tentative.

Kara took a deep breath. "I'm not going to start whaling on you," she said. "It's just…"

"Yeah. You don't have to explain. But you don't need to take Felix out, either."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go take care of my bird." Kara had a feeling she was best left alone. Boomer got the hint and let her go. She let the anger power her through what need to be done. 

She was just about through her check when the alarm sounded. "Action stations, action stations, set Condition One. This is not a drill. I repeat, action stations, action stations."

With a fresh surge of fury, Kara shoved her helmet back on. She would grieve Helo later, but right now it was time to shoot some bastards out of the sky. Kara needed to hurt something and hard, and this time, no one was going to stop her.

***

There was no time to feel much of anything. Every thirty-three minutes the Cylons found them again, and Kara had to be in her Viper, blowing them out of the sky. She relished it, and the sparks of exploding raiders was a momentary balm on her soul.

But in between attacks there was time to huddle up in corner and think. She didn't want to- if she thought about the loss of the Colonies and everything everyone knew she would go crazy. It was too big, too hard to wrap her head around. Maybe that was what made Helo's death so much worse- that was something she could feel. And it hurt like hell. 

It wasn't helped by seeing Boomer taking to her Raptor, another ECO in the back without any time for mourning for Helo. Or Gaeta's voice over the wireless, even and calm, relaying orders and coordinating spacecraft. But they were doing what they had to do, and Kara was, too. After all, that was the only option they had left.

***

Kara let herself into the racks, and immediately headed for the one that was Helo's. The privacy curtain was drawn, so she knocked. "I know you're in there, Gaeta. Open up."

Gaeta nudged the privacy curtain open, which was enough for Kara to pull it all the way. He glared at her. "What do you want?"

"Thought I might find you here." Now that Kara was here, she felt uncomfortable. For some reason she'd expected to find Gaeta in his duty blues, because that was pretty much how Gaeta existed. Instead he was wearing a pair of shorts, and an overlarge Picon Military Academy t-shirt that Kara knew well. He was barefoot and looked ready for sleep. Seeing him dressed like that made her feel more an intruder than if she'd found him naked. 

"How did you know I'd be here?" 

Kara leaned against the locker, arms crossed. "Because it's what I did when Zak died." Gaeta regarded her suspiciously, and she sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's a crappy opening. I'm not trying to come here and do all this bonding crap."

"Then what are you here for?" Gaeta asked.

Apologizing wasn't Kara's forte, but she knew Gaeta deserved one. "Look, I shouldn't have taken it out on you on the deck. I was just looking for an easy target and I-"

"Don't explain," Gaeta cut her off, holding one hand up and closing his eyes. "You don't need to explain anything. The apology is enough."

"Yeah." Kara deflated with relief. "Thanks."

He nodded.

"Listen," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I don’t like it, but there's something you, me, and Boomer should talk about, and that's a funeral."

"No." Gaeta's voice broke on the word. He took a deep breath and tried again. "No. I… I can't. Not yet. We don't even know that he's dead."

Kara winced. "He probably is. There's no way he can be alive."

"There's no way _we_ should be alive, but we are."

"Fair point," Kara agreed.

Gaeta sighed and sat up straighter, turning so his feet dangled off the edge of the bunk. "Look. I'm not trying to be in denial, okay? I realize he's probably dead, and I'll deal with that. But having a funeral and putting that final end on it…. If we had his body, it would be one thing. But we don't."

Gods, he looked tired. Tired and earnest and pretty much exactly how Kara felt. His eyes were red and there were shadows under them. Everything about Gaeta screamed loss, and Helo was probably not the only one he was grieving. "Want to have a drink together, then?" Kara asked. 

"Excuse me?"

"No funeral," Kara agreed, "but we should at least have a drink to remember him. Together."

Gaeta- _Felix_ \- nodded. "Let me get dressed. I'll join you in a minute."

***

Kara was a realist. She never expected that she and Felix would cry on each other's shoulders and then become the best of friends. But Felix's presence in a room became tolerable, and like it or not, there was a common bond between them. They didn't seek each other out, but on rare occasions they would have a drink together. They didn't talk much when they drank and they never drank to the point of drunkenness, but Kara appreciated those times all the same.

"Was he worth it?" Kara asked suddenly during one of their drinks. "Baltar, I mean? Was Helo right about him?"

Gaeta considered the end of his cigarette as he considered the question. "Gaius Baltar was one of the brightest minds in existence before twenty billion people were wiped out," he said, a tone of reverence in his voice. "He's certainly the brightest mind left at this point. Helo was definitely right about him. But was he worth it?" He took a long drag. "Well…" he made a gesture with the cigarette, but Kara knew the answer. No. Not to Felix. And given how much he idolized Baltar, that was saying something.

Kara poured him another drink.

***

"Stop! I know where Helo is!"

The cry rang through the ruined museum, and Kara froze. "What the frak did you just say?"

She looked exactly like Boomer as she raised her hands. "Helo. He's still alive. He's on Caprica."

"And why should I believe a word that you say?" Kara growled, raising her gun and taking careful aim, all the while, the horrifying truth pounding through her brain. This was a Cylon. _Boomer_ was a Cylon. 

"Because I'm telling the truth. Here." The Cylon dropped something on the ground and kicked it over to Kara. Kara bent to pick it up. It was a patch ripped off of a military uniform. 

"That doesn't prove a godsdamned thing," Kara said, lifting her gun again. "You could have gotten that from anywhere."

"It was Helo's," the Cylon said defiantly. "And they've taken him."

"Where the frak would they take him?"

"To a farm."

Something about the word _farm_ set off a warning signal in Kara's mind. "Slave labor?"

"No. Breeding farm. The Cylons are trying to figure out how to reproduce." The Cylon took a deep breath. "They weren't going to send him there, but the first plan didn't work."

"And what was the first plan?"

"For him to fall in love with me. He thinks I'm Boomer."

Kara felt sick. "He still thinks that? He doesn't know what you are?"

"As far as I know. Look, we can't just stand around here talking- they know you're here. We've got to get out of here. And we've got to get Helo out of the farm."

"Or it's a trap to lead me there." There was no way Kara could trust her. "Where is this farm?"

"About seven klicks north of here."

"The fact I'm not shooting you doesn't mean I trust you," Kara said finally, "because I sure as hell don't. But if there's even a chance you're telling the truth, I've got to get him out of there."

"He'd do it for you," the Cylon finished.

"Shut up," Kara ordered her, her anger rising, because how the _frak_ would she know? "Come on. Let's go."

***

"Why are you doing this?" Kara asked that night, as they huddled in a ruined house to avoid the rain. "Why are you helping me?"

Sharon (she had to call her _something_ ) took a deep breath. "When they sent me to Helo, they gave me all of Boomer's memories. They told me get him to fall in love with me, that it would be easy. But it wasn't. I remembered that he had someone, and that Boomer thought they were good together, but I still thought it would be easy. But he wouldn't even look at me that way. Even when I told him Felix was dead."

Kara felt sick. "He thinks Felix is dead?"

Sharon winced. "He didn't take it well."

"Of course he didn't." Kara barely restrained the urge to punch her. "So it's some sort of atonement?"

"Not like that. I had a perception of humans, of what you are, of what you do and what you are capable of. Helo made me question that. And as I examine them more and more, Boomer's memories make me question it." She bit her lip. "I don't think we were wrong about humanity. But I'm not so sure that we were right anymore, either."

"Hell of a way to come to that conclusion." Kara shifted her gun in her hands. "Just because he can control his dick doesn't mean he's a great human."

"His loyalty was only what made me start thinking about it. You know as well as I do that Helo _is_ a good person, for reasons that have nothing to do with his love life." Sharon shrugged. "And now you're down here. You're risking your life to try to help him. More and more… I… I think there's something more."

Kara snorted. "Whatever." She checked her watch. "Thirty more minutes?" 

"Thirty more minutes."

Thirty more minutes until Kara found out if this the best way this mission could have ended or the worst. She had her suspicions, and she wasn't sure she wanted to hope that she was wrong.

***

The explosions were still loud behind her as Kara charged down the hospital corridor, turning left at the third door like Sharon told her to. One thing was for sure- this hell was definitely a farm. Kara could see that through the doors. Another Cylon- a male one- emerged from a room and Kara shot him with no hesitation. Thank the gods the skinjobs went down easy.

She flung the door open and stopped in horror on the threshold. Men were arranged on beds, wearing hospital gowns, hooked up to various tubes. Kara swallowed her bile and searched the faces until she found Helo. She darted over and examined the set up. The IV lines came out and she injected something that Sharon had sworn would take care of the sedative. The wires and monitors disconnected easily. The only other tube was a catheter-like contraption that Kara really didn't dwell on, and she breathed a sigh of relief when it released easily. 

Helo's eyes fluttered open. "Kara?"

"It's me, Karl," Kara said, her throat closing. "Come on. We're getting you out of here."

"But-" he tried to sit up and wobbled, then started to lay back down.

"Oh, no you don’t," Kara said, catching him. She groaned. "Gods, you're heavy, you big lug. Come on. On your feet." She struggled, but Helo eventually got the idea and lurched to his feet. 

"Where are we going?"

"Follow me." Kara grabbed his arm and draped it around her shoulders to stabilize him. She staggered under his weight, but was able to get them moving. "Let's go."

Helo over one shoulder and gun in the other, Kara powered them out of the room and down the corridors. When they burst out of the hospital, the heavy raider was there, just like Sharon had promised. Helo stopped still. "What the frak?"

"Come on," Kara said, noting some Centurions rounding a corner. "No time for niceties. Let's go." She shoved him as hard as she could, and Helo stumbled onto the ship. Kara dove in after him. "Get us out of here, Sharon."

Helo's eyes widened as he saw her. "You've got to be frakking kidding me."

"Nope." Kara slumped down as the heavy raider lifted off. She looked up at Sharon. "You know they're not just going to let you waltz into the Fleet."

"I assumed," Sharon said dryly. "I know what I'm doing."

Kara snorted, but turned back to Helo. "How are you doing?"

"A little unbelieving. It kind of happened fast. Still feels like yet another drug-induced nightmare though." He rubbed his forehead. "I can't really process anything. My head is still full of whatever they were pumping into me."

"Well, take a nap then. It will be a few hours until we're back to Kobol." Kara unslung the Arrow of Apollo off her back.

"Kobol?" 

"Yeah. There's probably a lot to catch you up on." She cold see Helo's eyes closing. "But there's time for that later. Get some sleep." She got to her feet painfully and moved up to the co-pilot's seat. "Besides," she said to Sharon, "you and I have to figure out what happens next."

***

It was all a blur of divided Fleets and mutinies, Kobol and prices written in blood, crazy maps and star shows. Several times during their journey on Kobol Kara thought about telling Helo that Felix was still alive, but one fear kept her quiet- the fear that Felix would somehow be dead by the time they got back. Kara didn't want Helo to have to go through that.

So when they finally docked on _Galactica_ , Kobol behind them and map of sorts in hand, Kara ducked over and phoned up to the CIC. 

"CIC." Gaeta's voice was brusque. 

"Gaeta," Kara said. "Get your ass down to the landing deck."

"Starbuck?"

"Just do it." Kara found herself smirking as she rejoined the others. Sharon had already been led off to the brig, and Helo was looking around the landing bay with the air of someone not quite believing what he was seeing. He still looked pale and tired, but Kara was pretty sure he'd feel a lot better in a minute. "Well," she asked him. "How's it feel to be home?"

"Strange," Helo said. "It's… Kara, I'm afraid to go into the CIC. I'm almost afraid to leave this hangar deck."

They hadn't talked about Gaeta at all. Kara put her hand over his. "Well, you might want to," she said, pointing. "At least once Gaeta gets his hands on you."

Helo's mouth sagged open, and up on the stairs, Kara saw the image sink into Gaeta's brain as his eyes widened. Then he was thundering down the stairs and Helo was running and they almost collided at the foot of the stairs, holding on to one another. Kara was certain there was a lot of crying and _I thought you were dead_ sort of blabbering, so she held back, watching them with a smile playing on her lips. 

***

"So you and Felix finally made peace, huh?" Helo asked her a day later. 

Kara studied him. "You look a lot better. How much of it is due to Doc Cottle, and how much is due to Gaeta?" Helo shrugged, but there was a sort of serene happiness about him. Kara sighed. "So. You ever going to ask me to stand up for you when you marry him?"

"When I do, you'll be the first to know. I take it you like him better now?" 

"Nope," Kara said happily. "Still think he's got a stick jammed up his ass and he still drives me nuts. But he makes you happy, and I guess I can put up with him for that. I guess that's all anyone can ask for these days."

"Guess so," Helo said, and Kara knew that for him, it was enough.


End file.
